Distillation apparatus



Sept. 29, 1925. 1,555,531

. M. J. TRUMBLE DISTILLATIQN APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 9 'Y 2 Sheets-Shet1 TOE:

M ONJ 77POM5L;

Sept. 29, 1925. I 5 1,555,531

, M. J. TRUMBLE DI STILLATI ON APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 3 2 Sheets-Sheet2 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILON J. TRUMBLE, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DISTILLATION APPARATUS.

Application filed November 14,1923. Serial No. 674,680..

My invention relates to the art of distillation and more particularly tothe production of hydrocarbon oils from various raw materials.

the shales, may be made to yield hydrocarbons if subjected to heat andpressure.v

Such, for example, are the so-called oil sands which yield complex,mixtures of hydrocarbons commonly and hereinafter termed crude oil.

It is an object of my invention to provide an apparatus by whichhydrocarbons of high commercial value can be cheaply produced from suchcrude oil or other materials containing hydrocarbons, all such materialsbeing hereinafter termed raw materials.

I have found that where such raw material contains or is mixed withcomminuted wood, straw, brown coal, lignite, or other materialcontaining a large proportion of woody fibre, (all such materials beinghereinafter termed ligneous material) that a molecular rearrangement ofthe hydrocarbons seems to take place upon the application of heat to themixture, the result being a complex mixture of hydrocarbon oils of highvolatility and low specific gravity. Oils of this character are at thepresent time in great demand and their commercial value ishigli.

It is therefore a further object of my invention to provide means fordistilling a mixture of raw material and ligneous materialfor thepurpose of producing volatile hydrocarbons.

It'is ound that where raw material is di'stilledin fire stills, that isin closed vessels, to the exterior of which hot gases of combustion areapplied, coking is liable to occur in the still due to localoverheating. This can ,be partially overcome by using steam as a heatingagent, but unless superheated steam. is employed the difference intemperature between the steam aiid the still contents is so low thatunduly large stills must be employed. I therefore, employ ablecondensers.

superheated steam internally applied to the S t1ll 01' treater throughpipe coils. It is a further object of my invention to providemechanicalimeans for cleaning off any deposits which may form on'theexterior surface of said coils.

. Theuse of steam in steam coils placed in the still is old and haspreviously been considered uneconomical due to the large amount of heatrequired to convert water i v into steam, i. e. the latent heat ofvaporizer There occur in nature many deposits which containhydrocarbons, or which, like tion \Vhere steam is so used in theordinary -fefining process, large quantities of fuel are burned tosupply this latent heat of vaporization, this heat being afterwardsremoved from the vapors and steam in suit- It is a further object of myinvention toprovide means by which a considerable portion .of the heatapplied to the steam is recovered as mechanical power..

Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

In'the drawings which are' for illustrative purposes only, j v

Fig. 1 is an isometric diagram of apparatus adapted to carry on myprocess.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through a preferred form of still.

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the tubes and scraper of the still.

In the form of invention illustrated, I employ a battery of boilers 11,a battery of heaters 12, three stills 13, 14 and 15, two preheaters 16and 17, a prime mover 18, a condenser 19, and a separator 20.

The boilers 11 are of conventional form and supply saturated steamthrough a pipe to the heaters12. The heaters 12 consist furnace 29,which is fired by a gas burner 30.

The steam is superheated in the vessel 26 and is conducted through apipe 31 to the first still or treater 13. ,The pipe 31 is joinedas'shown in Fig. 3 to two pipes 32, each of which projects into one oftwo'large pipes 33. The pipes 33 project into the still 13 and areclosed at their anterior end by caps 35. The anterior ends 36 of thepipes 32 are open and the steamis delivered therethrough'into theanterior ends of the pipes 33. The pipes 33 are secured at theirposterior ends in flanges 37 Welded or otherwise secured in the shell ofthe treater 13. A pipe 40 is also secured in the pipes 33 and hassecured thereto a pipe 41 which extends down and conducts the partiallycooled steam to the second vessel 27.

In the vessel 27 the steam is again raised in temperature, beingdelivered through a pipe 42 to a pipe corresponding to the pipe 32 inthe second treater14; the.treaters 13, 14 and 15 being of identicalconstruction. The steam after passing through pipes similar to 32 and 33in the treater 14 is carried by a pipe 43 to the third vessel 28, beingagain raised in temperature therein. Steam is then conducted from thevessel 28 through a pipe 44 into the third treater 15.

The partially cooled steam from the third treater 15 is conductedthrough a pipe 45 to one or the other-of the preheaters 16 and 17, thepipe 45 having branches provided with valves 46 which may be used todirect the steam into either of the preheaters 16 or 17. p

The preheaters 16 and 17 are identical in construction and may be filledwith comminuted ligneous material through removable covers 50. Rawmaterial, such as crude oil, is delivered through a pipe 51, havingbranches closed by valves 52, into either of the preheaters 16 or 17..Vapor is delivered from a main through branches having valves 56 intoeither of the preheaters 16 or 17. Each of the preheaters l6 and 17 hasa pipe 57 having a 'valve 53, through which material from either of thepreheaters may be delivered to the third still 15.

This material may be pulled from the posterior to the anterior end ofeach still by a sc'raper60 mounted on the pipes 33 and actuated by apull rod 61 which projects through a stuffing box 62 in the anterior endof each still. The scraper not only acts to pull solid material to theanterior end of each still but also serves. to scrape off the outersurface of the pipes 33 any adhering solid matter. Material in theanterior end of still 15 can be discharged into the posterior end ofstill 14 through a pipe 63 having a valve 64. Material in the anteriorend of still 14 can be discharged into the posterior end of still 13through a pipe 65 having a valve 66. Material in the anterior end ofstill 13 can be discharged through a pipe 67 having a valve 68.

Excess liquid in still 15 discharges into still 14 through a pipe 70having a valve 71: excess liquid in still 14 discharges into still 13through a pipe 72 having a valve 73; and excess liquid may be drawn offfrom still 13 through a pipe 74 having a valve 75.

Vapor outlets are provided for each still 13, 14 and 15. The vaporoutlet 'from still 13 discharges through a valve 81 with the main 55 ormay be discharged through a valve 82 and an outlet pipe 83 to suitablecondensers, not shown. The vapor outlet 85 from still 14 dischargesthrough avalve 86 intothe main55, or through a valve 87 and an outletpipe 88 to suitable condensers, not shown. The vapor outlet 90 from thestill 15 discharges through a valve 91 into the main or through a valve92 into an outlet pipe 93 to suitable condensers, not shown.

Vapor and steam may be delivered through valves 95 and a pipe 96'to thesteam turbine 18, the exhaust therefrom passing through a pipe 97 to thecondenser 19. Coridensates are delivered through a pipe 98 to theseparator 20, the water and water soluble salts being then deliveredthrough a pipe and the oil through a pipe 99 therefrom.

The. method of operation is as follows: The plant is designed to operatecon tinuously, and when so operating the stills 13, 14 and 15' arefilled with a mixture of raw and ligneous material.

In the stills 13, 14 and 15 this mixture is subjected to the heat of thesteam in the pipes 33, this steam being superheated before being passedinto each still by the heaters 26, 27 and 28. The cooled steam from thethird still 15 is blown directly nto a mixture of raw and ligneousmaterial 1n one of the preheaters 16 or 17. These preheaters are chargedwith oil from the pipe 51 and with ligneous material through the openingclosed by the cover 50.

Vapors are produced in the stills 13, 14 and '15 and these vapors areeither blown into one of the preheaters 16 or 17 through the main 55, orare drawn off through one of the pipes 83, S8 or 93 and condensed. henso condensed, they form valuable oils.

The material in the preheaters 16 and 17 is delivered to the still 15through the pipes 57 and is progressively passed through the stills 14and 13. In its passage it is subjected to increasing temperatures andits volatile contents are distilled. Due to the presence of solids inthe material in the stills, it isnecessary to utilize the scrapers 60 topull this material to the anterior end of each still so that it can bedumped.

I prefer to blow the vapors from all the stills 13, 14 and 15 throughthe main 55 into the preheaters 16 and 17. These preheaters 1 arealternately charged with raw and ligneous material. one being chargedWhile the other is receiving steam and vapor.

In practice I use a plurality of sets of apparatus as shown, one batteryof boilers and one turbine serving to operate all these sets. The pi e96 would then be branched as shown at 101, and fed with steam and othervapors from other preheaters.

In practice I find that it is possible to produce valuable volatilevapors in the stills and preheaters if they are charged with suitablemixtures of raw and ligneous material The ligneous material apparentlyacts as a catalyzer, helping to break up the raw material into solids orsemi-solids and volatiles. The ligneous material may be in I 'intosteam. This steam, together with all other steam and vapors entering orformed in the preheaters 16 and 17, 'is delivered to the steamturbine18, where it does useful work, the valuable products carried thereinbeing separated and recovered in'the separator 20. 7

By mixing a suitable liquid, for example asphalt oil, with the ligneousmaterial, I, am also able to deliver a very valuable material throughthe pipe 67. The characteristics of this material can be varied} bychanging the method ofoperation of the apparatus, but in general itconsists of carbonized material which may contain sulficient tarryresidue to permit of its being readily briquetted. This material forms avaluable fuel, high inthermal value, and substantially smokeless.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for distillation comprising: walls forming a preheatingchamber means for passing raw material into said preheating. chamber;walls forminga vaporizing chamber; means for passing material from saidpreheating chamber into said vaporizing chamber; walls forming a heatingchannel, a portion of said walls bein in thermal contact with thematerial in said vaporizing chamber; means for passing hot vaporsthrough saidheating channel, said vapors being at a sufiicienttemperature to produce a vaporized product from the material in saidvaporizing cham ber; means for passing the vapors after they leavesaidheating channel into the raw material in said preheating chamber;and means for utilizing vapors from said preheating chamber in theproduction of power. i z

2. An apparatus for distillation comprising: walls forming a preheatingchamber; means for passing raw materialinto said preheating-chamber;wallsforming a vaporizing, chamber; means for passing material from saidpreheating chamber into said vaporizing chamber; walls forming a heatingchannel, a portion of said walls being in thermal contact with thematerial in, said vaporizing chamber; means for passin" hot vaporsthrough said heating channe said vapors being at a suflicienttemperature to produce a vaporized product from the material in saidvaporizing chamber; means for passing the vapors after they leave saidheating channel into the raw material in said preheating chamber;

,means for injecting the vaporized product,

produced in said vaporizing chamber, into the r'awmaterial in saidpreheating chamber; and means for utilizing vapors from said-preheatingchamber in the production of power.

In testimony whereof, I have hereuntoset my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 8th day of November, 1923.

MILON J. TRUMBLE.

